The Royal Oak Leprechauns were able to get back in the win column on Tuesday night by scraping together a 9-6 victory over the Wausau Woodchucks.
Tuesday’s game was a bit closer than the final score indicated, as Wausau got the tying run to first and the winning run to the plate with just one out, but Fischer Hendershot (Eastern Michigan) came out of the bullpen and shut things down. He picked up his first save of the summer by striking out both batters he faced, the first on a massive 3-2 breaking ball that just clipped the lower rung of the zone.
Royal Oak’s offense also came ready once again. The team has now plated at least nine runs in five of the team’s eight games. On Tuesday, the team was able to get runs across through methods both flashy and gritty.
Starting with the glitzy stuff, Ryan Tyranski (Cincinnati) hit the Leprechauns’ first home run of the season during in the third inning by sending a 3-2 pitch the other way (left field) for a two-run shot. He also had a double in the fifth and an RBI single in the eighth. Tyranski has been scorching hot to start his summer and is now hitting exactly .500 (16-for-32) on the season with 10 RBI and 13 runs. At the time that this article is being written, he now is tied for first in the entire NWL for batting average and is all alone at the top for runs.
As far as the tougher, hard-nosed stuff goes, Royal Oak recorded four different RBI groundouts on Tuesday night. The Leprechauns have been great situational hitters so far this season, holding the second-best walk-to-strikeout ratio in the Northwoods League at the plate (1.175), and this game was no different. Five of the base runners for the Leprechauns that eventually scored got on via the walk, with another scoring after reaching on an error, meaning those behind them were able to cash in on Wausau’s mistakes.
Taking advantage of those opportunities doesn’t necessarily mean it has to be in the form of a base hit, either. Tristan Crane (Texas A&M-Corpus Christi) and Devan Zirwas (Eastern Michigan) each had two of the de facto sacrifice plays on the day. Zirwas also had a two-out RBI single in the fifth to help round out a three-RBI night.
One of the other standouts was second-year Leprechaun Jack Boike. The Adrian College product reached base during all four of his plate appearances, whacking two singles and drawing two walks. His contributions didn’t stop there, though. Boike also stole two bags, scored thrice, and also had an outfield assist by throwing out Wausau star Christian Smith-Johnson at the plate during a potential sacrifice fly scenario. Smith-Johnson already has 10 stolen bases on the summer (second in the NWL) and hit a game-tying grand slam in the fifth inning.
Royal Oak also got a couple solid pitching performances. Ryan Kruse (Valparaiso) got the ball to start and allowed just one run over four innings of work. He struck out five in comparison to two walks and five hits.
Ethan LaPointe (Eastern Michigan) also delivered on the mound for the Leprechauns in high-leverage innings. LaPointe got the ball for the seventh and eighth innings and shut down the Wausau order, tossing two scoreless innings without allowing a hit. The offense also gave him a boost by scoring three runs in the seventh and another in the eighth.
This win snaps Royal Oak’s short, two-game losing streak and improves the team’s overall record to 5-3 on the season, which is half a game behind Battle Creek Battle Jacks for first place in the Great Lakes East. Wausau dropped to 5-4 with the loss.
These two teams will play once again on Wednesday, with first pitch set for 7:05 p.m. ET on NWL+. Following that, Royal Oak will head to Wisconsin Rapids to take on the Rafters on Thursday and Friday prior to returning home on Saturday, June 7 against the Rockford Rivets.
Tickets to any Leprechauns home game this season can be purchased HERE.
